Paull has the race of his life on Black Mountain
Denny Paull delivered the race of his life during the third annual Black Mountain 30K Classic cross country race, edging speed king Baic Milan by only eleven seconds, to claim the top spot for the first time ever.
Paull, 42, a Cheboygan veterinarian, who has been instrumental in turning the Michigan Cup event into a success in a relatively short amount of time, was clocked at 1:45:24. He was followed closely by 46-year-old Baic with a time of 1:45:35.
Paull said the conditions were ideal for the 93 participants, which is up from 80 a year ago.
?We could not have asked for a better day,? Paull said. ?It was a wonderful day.?
In the women?s class, Daniela Gebhart, 44, did not have an easy go of it, as was the case in 2005 when she won by a sizeable margin. She was about three minutes better (2:07:57) than Tracy Hardin (2:10:33). Gebhart would have placed 19th in the men?s event.
Racers were impressed with the T-shirt design, the creative and unique awards, and an ideal recovery buffet at the Chateau Lodge.
The Presque Isle County Tourism Council ran the race with the help of about 40 volunteers.
The oldest finisher was Arne Borgnes, 77, with a time of 2:32:02. The last timed racer, Mary McCall, 54, completed the course in 5:38:59.